


Person of Interest

by Jericho_andromeda_winters



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Aggression, But she's also a pansy like me at first, Chasing, Ecto-Genitalia (Undertale), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Kind soul reader, Mafia Sans (Undertale), Mildly Dubious Consent, POV Female Character, Possessive Behavior, Praise Kink, Predatory Sans, Psychic Bond, Reader is basically just the kind of person I try to be, Size Difference, Soul Bond, Soul Sex, UPDATED DECEMBER THIRD, explicit everything, explicit violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-12-16 00:28:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 19,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21027260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jericho_andromeda_winters/pseuds/Jericho_andromeda_winters
Summary: UPDATED 01/5/20It was twelve AM on a friday night- or saturday morning. You'd just finished working a double at the bar; tired and achy as all hell, all you wanted was get home and get off your feet for the first time in fifteen damn hours. You were almost home, just one block off from your apartment; maybe if you'd left work just a few minutes earlier or later, you could have avoided what happened next...But you didn't.____________YO AO3 GLITCHED OUT SO THAT MY UPDATE DATE ALWAYS SAYS Oct.14; I'll BE PUTTING THE DATE IN LE DESCRIPTION EVERY TIME I POST A CHAP!_____________Hey guys, Jericho here. And welcome to my first undertale fanfiction! Everybody gather 'round and take a seat while I try to figure out where to take this story. Hope you brought snacks, it'll be awhile.And don't be afraid to comment! I really appreciate it, and I'll pretty much always answer. Whether you're stroking my infinitely fragile ego, making a suggestion as to where the story should go or what the characters should say/do, or ripping me a new one for a suck-ass chap I made when I was cross faded the night before, bring it on! I mean there's no point in being shy, we ain't gonna meet irl.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, alright... yes, I'm well aware of how often the "unfortunate innocent witness" trope is used, so shush your cake holes. 🙃
> 
> It's just that of the ones I've read, they either aren't finished or update so slowly I wanna rip my hair out. And don't get me wrong, there are some incredible ones out there; if you haven't read "A murderer on the subway" by AKAindulgence, go read that shit. I like thst shit. It's good shit. 
> 
> I'm kind of a fan of dominant male characters, not necessarily s and m, so if you don't like chases and slight fear play, ya might wanna back out now. 
> 
> Also, there's some gore. I mean duh, it's mafia Sans. No rape tho; there is some dubcon, but I mean... idk, it's not like, RAPE rape... jesus christ I sounded like a piece of shit there, holy shit balls. Look the point is, he's not a complete monster or anything (well he is, but you know what I mean).
> 
> Anyway... enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You witness a murder and meet a scary skellie.

_"It is not upon you alone the dark patches fall, The dark threw its patches down upon me also..." _

_-Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass: "The Dark Patches Fall"_

** _Your POV:_ **

Why, oh why, did I not bring my coat to work? 

I scowled bitterly, shivering as I trudged through the empty streets of New York City. The snow crunched beneath me with every step while the wind bit harshly at my skin, raising every hair I had on my body.

Every thing about this was the _worst. _Twelve AM on a saturday morning, dark, poorly lit city streets, in the middle of a cold snap without a jacket, all after I'd just finished a fifteen hour double shift that had left my feet feeling like I was walking on pins and needles. I was too young for foot pain like that, darnit! ...well, at least the cold numbed them a little. 

_'I wonder how long it'd take for me to get hypothermia? Hmm... Maybe Ryan would give me time off for that.' _

"P-Please! Please, wait, we can talk about this, I... o-oh God, n-no..."

I came to an abrupt stop at the panicked whimpering that echoed out from the alleyway I was passing. I always tried to help people whenever I could, strangers and friends alike. My parents had raised me to believe that kindness wasn't just a virtue; it was a way of life. So naturally, it was second nature for me to stop when I heard or saw someone in distress. It was never too much trouble, and I'd never regretted it before. So I followed my first instinct and looked towards the source of the pained voice...

And froze. 

An icy chill that had nothing to do with the weather shot down my spine and settled heavily in my stomach as I stared, eyes wide as I struggled to process the scene taking place no more than twenty feet away. 

There were two figures in the middle of the alleyway. One of them was on his knees, hunched and trembling in abject terror as he pled for his life to the hulking figure looming over him. The second person was facing away from me, his head and shoulders shrouded in deep shadows. He was enourmous, at least seven feet tall; his intimidating height coupled with his aggressive stance sent a wash of terror screaming through my veins, both for myself and the kneeling man. 

"sorry buck, no can do; orders are orders," the tall figure said in a low rumble of a voice that was as deep as the shadows that covered him. His tone was sickeningly casual, like he was commenting on the weather or something equally as mundane.

His lazy delivery threw me for a loop; what was he going to do? 

"you understand, right buddy?" 

The unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked echoed through the alley, instantly dashing my confusion and replacing it once again with fear. 

_'No...'_

The barrel of a hand gun came into view, aimed at the whimpering man's forehead. My heart clenched painfully as he began to sob. 

_'No... No!' _

"we'll make sure the missus and your boy are set, so don't worry 'bout them. sorry again, buck," the man said lowly, sounding genuinely apologetic. He sighed and adjusted his grip on his weapon. 

"see ya, pal." 

_"**NO!" **_

I didn't realize that I'd screamed until the tall silhouette seemed to pause and shift slightly, cocking its head towards me. I gasped and stumbled back a few steps.

"I... d-don't..." I stuttered softly over the sound of the frightened man's whimpers. I could feel the gunman's stare boring into me from beneath the shadows, trapping my words in my throat. I swallowed and tried again. 

"P-Please... please d-don't-" 

My plea dissolved into a shriek that was covered by the gunshot that cut sharply through the night and set my ears to ringing. Tears stung my horrified eyes, blurring my vision slightly as I watched the man's lifeless body crumble silently to the ground. His eyes were still open, looking for all the world like they were staring straight at me. I let out a choked sob of grief for him and the wife and child the killer had mentioned before. I trembled as tears rolled down my face, freezing on my cheeks in the cold.

"heh... you aight there, sweetheart?" 

The gunman had holstered his weapon and turned to face me, his posture deceptively lax and unthreatening. I didn't turn to look at him, unable to avert my eyes from the body's lifeless gaze, unable to move as he drew closer, the snow beneath his feet crunching softly with each measured step. Emotionally drained from sadness and shock, I couldn't even muster up a flinch when he stopped right in front me and slowly lifted a hand to my chin, gently tilting my face up to meet his gaze. I looked up at him in helplessness and confusion; why would he... how could he... _How could he? _

"aw, look atcha; shakin' like a leaf," he murmured, almost to himself. He cradled my face in both hands and gently swiped his thumbs across my cheeks, wiping away my tears. 

"first time, huh darlin'?" He cooed. I couldn't tell if he was being mocking me or being sincere. "poor lil' thing..."

I swallowed dryly as his fingers ghosted over my trembling lower lip. 

"W-why..." I managed to rasp. 

He cocked him head. "hmm?"

I cleared my throat and tried again, fighting to get the words past the tightness in my throat. "Why?" I whispered, unable to muster any other words. 

He chuckled a bit. "well, I'd tell ya, but see, the thing is..." he leaned down so that his moth brushed the shell of my ear, "i'd have ta kill ya." 

A rush of adrenaline shot through me as I processed his words, snapping me out of my numb stupor. I yanked myself out of his grasp, spun on my heel, and _ran. _I practically flew, sprinting down the street like my life depended on it- which it very much did. A deep, booming laugh followed me as I went, piercing my skull and scraping down my spine like a tangible thing. 

"ha! there it is!" He guffawed as I fled. "knew ya had it in ya!" 

I felt some measure of relief when I heard his laughter fading. He wasn't following me... oh, thank God. 

I arrived at my apartment building in less than two minutes, having sprinted the last two blocks in record time. I was numb and shaking by the time I climbed the stairs, too cold to even register the exhaustion that my muscles must have been feeling from the rush of activity. My teeth chattered as I fumbled with my keys with shaking fingers. When I finally suceeded, I threw open the door, threw myself inside, and slammed it shut behind me, quickly twisting all three locks before collapsing against the wall in a trembling, freezing mess of gasps and tears.

I slid to the floor, gripping my shirt above my heart as I struggled to breathe through my shock. A man had_ DIED. _Right in front of me!

_ And I couldn't help him. _

A sob tore through me as the memory played through my head; the gunshot, his blank eyes staring right through me... I covered my face with both hands and curled in on myself, shaking with quiet sobs. 

Then, my breath hitched when I felt a large hand grip my shoulder. I didn't move my own hands from my face, but moaned quietly in fear when the one on my shoulder gave it a soft squeeze. 

"poor lil' thing..." The killer repeated with a dark chuckle. 

My breath stopped along with my heart at his soft, growling purr. When they resumed, they began working double time, and I ended up nearly making myself pass out from sheer hysteria. Was I having a panic attack? Was this what a panic attack felt like? I was panicking too much to think about it.

"Damnit, c'mon now," he muttered with an exasperated sigh. I squeaked as I felt his hands slide under my arms to lift me off the ground like a toddler.

"Aight, up ya get- ey!" He exclaimed as I began to struggle against his grip; my eyes were squeezed shut, so it was by sheer luck that I actually managed to land a kick on his shin and clock him in the jaw before he set me on my feet and pulled me against him with a hand on the small of my back. He didn't retaliate, to my suprise; he actually didn't do much more than let out a couple annoyed growls as I continued to wail on his chest with my fists, knowing my efforts against the behemoth were futile but trying my damndest anyway.

A good five minutes passed before my struggles slowed; I might have been able to go longer if the lack of oxygen caused by my hyperventilating hadn't nearly taken me out. I let out a couple more hiccups as I finally stopped, letting my head fall forward and gripping the front of his coat for support. I barely registered the hand stroking gently through my hair.

"aww, ya done, sweetheart? all tuckered out?" He crooned. His tone sounded like something one might reserve for a cranky child; I really wished I had the energy to be annoyed.

"N-No..." I sniffled under my breath, still hiding my face in his jacket. I hated having to do that, but the alternative was looking at him, and there was no way in heck that I was going there. I whimpered and tightened my grip as his chest shook with silent laughter. 

"pfff. sure. whatever ya say, doll," he snickered as he continued carding his fingers through my hair. I found myself being calmed by the motion despite myself, breathing slower and deeper as the seconds dragged by. He moved his arm from my lower back to my arm, rubbing it up and down from my shoulder to my elbow. "damn, you're a fuckin' icicle. ya cold?" 

I hesitated for a good ten seconds before giving a small, sheepish nod. I really was; my fingers and toes were numb, and every inch of exposed skin was burning up. 

Once again, I was puzzled by his lazy demeanor. Why was he being so casual? Wasn't he going to kill me? He was so hard to read; God, I didn't know what to think. 

I was suddenly released from his hold, so quickly that I actually stumbled back a bit, collapsing into the wall behind me with a thud. I looked up in surprise to see that he was... gone? Wait, what? How did- where...? 

_Whump. _

I let out a muffled squawk of surprise as a soft, puffy mass was suddenly dropped on my head, causing me to flail around a bit to extricate myself from its fluffy clutches. Thoroughly frazzled enough that I momentarily forgot my tears, I looked down at the comforter in my arms like it was going to jump up and attack me or something. What the heck? 

I glanced up from the cover when the intruder let out an amused snort. All I could do was stare back at him, frozen like a deer in headlights. My brain short circuited as I registered the real life, walking, talking, living- 

"ha! you should see your face," the _skeleton_ chortled through the wide fanged grin stretching across his white face. "you're like a lil' rabbit!"

I flinched back, reminded of the danger I was in as he stepped closer once again. I closed my eyes as he reached down... and took the comforter from me to drape it across my shoulders and wrap it around my front. His grin widened as he pulled it over my head in a little hood, effectively bundling me up as he muttered something like 'cute' under his breath. He didn't step back as I hoped he would, instead dragging my body close to his own again. 

"never seen a skeleton before? two firsts in one night, doll; congrats," he smirked. His mouth promptly turned back down as tears welled up in my eyes again at the reminder of... that. Darnit, why couldn't I stop crying??

"c'mon, don' start all that up again... i ain't gonna hurt ya, you're alright..." he soothed. Not wanting to be comforted by the very source of my stress, I tensed up as if I was about to struggle again before deciding against it. I let my head hang instead, resting my forehead against his chest; Lord, I couldn't even keep my head up. 

"there we go, good girl," he praised. 

"Are you... a-are you going to..." my voice cracked and I had to stop.

"am i gonna what? kill ya?" He snorted. "nah. i ain't a _monster." _

I could practically hear the smirk in his teasing tone. I clenched my jaw against the flare of indignation that washed through me. How... how could he? How dare he joke around after **what he just did?**

"_You killed him," _I accused bitterly. "He was alive and now he's... _not." _

I winced a bit a his grip tightened around me.

"..." 

I closed my eyes, letting my anger go with my next exhale. "Please, I just... j-just tell me what's going to happen to me," I begged him. 

He didn't answer for a couple seconds. 

"that'll depend on you, sweetheart."


	2. Sans.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter from Sans' point of view. Maybe we'll learn a little bit about the reason behind his less than charming actions? 
> 
> Or maybe he's just an asshole, idk. 
> 
> Anyways, enjoy the chapter, fuckers! 👍🙃 love you all! Yo Akaindulgence if you ever read this I want your autograph on my elbow

_"I am he who knew what it was to be evil..."_

_-Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass: "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry"_

_ **Sans' POV:** _

> _ **"NO!"** _

I stiffened and looked back at the source of the scream to find a woman standing at the mouth of the alley, wide eyed and shaking as she witnessed the scene before her. To my surprise, the woman didn't run. Instead, she began to shakily plead with me on behalf of Buck.

"I... d-don't..."

What, did she know him or something? I squinted at her as Buck whimpered in the snow. ...mmmmnope. I'd never seen her before. And besides that, there was no way she'd have anything to do with the family. I didn't even need to 'check,' I could see that innocence just by looking at her. Everything about her, her terrified expression, the way she seemed to be trying to make herself look smaller, how she immediately clapped her hand over her mouth after she screamed... it all told me that she hadn't meant to be there that night. The little wide-eyed doe just happened in on the wrong place at the wrong time.

"P-Please... please d-don't-"

Looking into her fearful, pleading face, I almost cringed at the thought of what was about to happen. Hoo boy.

'_Sorry darlin. Bad luck.' _

I pulled the trigger.

My slight wince was more from her reaction than the actual bang. I sighed as I holstered my weapon and turned around to face the little doe. She still wasn't running. In fact, she didn't even look at me, unable to tear her eyes away from Buck's body. I sighed heavily as I glanced down at the growing puddle of blood staining the previously pure and untainted snow, stepping aside before it could reach the bottom of my shoe.

Looking back at her, I actually started to worry. The doe was obviously in shock, practically comatose. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck... I should probably say something. 

"heh... you aight there, sweetheart?"

Not even a twitch. 

I resisted the urge to facepalm hard enough to knock my skull into the snow. Oh yeah, real smooth, dumbass. Does she look '_aight'_ to you? Look at her!

...Shit. look at her. 

I probably should have just shortcutted the fuck outta there before I could give the girl anymore nightmares than I already had, but... shit, she was just fuckin' _Standing _there. In the snow. In a skirt with no coat. I had to at least make sure she got home, right? I mean, if it weren't for me, she'd probably already be there.

'_just gotta snap 'er outta it, sansy; then ya can cut home and rip inta that bottle a' heinz callin' you're name.'_

I took a breath and started towards her, slowly, like somebody would an actual doe. The closer I got to her, the clearer her features became. She was... huh. She was cute. Pretty and cute and so, so small. Delicate. I mean damn, her head only just cleared the bottom of my chest.... 

Stop it. 

Once again, there was no reaction when I stopped in front of her. Or when I lifted my hand to her face to pull her attention away from the body. Or when her eyes met mi-

Nope, there she is.

When I blocked her view of Buck and she was forced to meet my eyes, her shellshocked expression morphed from paralyzed to... lost. Just lost. My **soul** twisted uncomfortably as she looked up at me, not with anger or fear, but with a simple, broken confusion. Her blue, trembling lips were parted slightly, like she had some kinda sad question on the tip of her tongue. How was she doing that? How was this little doe making me feel like I'd just disappointed her somehow? 

_Stop. It. _

But of course I couldn't take my own advice. Nah. Instead, my dumbass hands decided it'd be a swell idea to go awol and start fondling this girl's face like they'd never touched a woman before. Which they _had, _thanks very _much. _so why was this one such a big deal...? 

"aw, look atcha; shakin' like a leaf..." I muttered under my breath, like she was a scared animal. "first time, huh darlin'? poor lil' thing..." god, she was cute. 

Ugh, Who was that talking? Was that me? That was me. Oh what, so my mouth had to go and jump ship too? Were all my bones gonna fuckin' mutiny? Before I had the chance to consider that actual possibility, she finally spoke... or tried to, anyways. 

"W-Why...?"

Fuck. That voice. Soft as her face. "hmm?"

I felt something I really didn't want to put a name to spark inside me as I watched her lips move again: 

"Why?" 

I let a small chuckle slip through my smile at how god damn adorable she was before cutting myself off. 

**_STOP IT._**

Forget this, forget her, snap out of it. 'j_ust scare the lil' doe off, get her to run home. c'mon, sansy.' _

So I laughed. Slipped on my most menacing grin. I gripped her pretty face a little harder. "well i'd tell ya, but see, the thing is..."

I leaned in. Let her feel my fangs brush her ear. Told myself she did NOT smell good. 

"...i'd have ta kill ya," I growled. 

Ah, that did it. I felt her stiffen against me as she finally realized the danger I wanted her to believe she was in. I <strike>reluctantly </strike>allowed her to pull yank away, letting out a surprised laugh at how fast she took off. 

"there it is! knew ya had it in ya!" 

Satisfied that she'd probably be out of the cold in the next couple minutes, I watched her shrinking form for a few seconds before turning around, fully intending to take a shortcut to my ketchup stash- 

_ **T H U M P. ** _

I had to put a hand on the alley wall to steady myself as my soul began to throb painfully.

"w-what the-" 

_ **T H U M P.** _

I growled and closed my eyes at the sensation. What the hell was that god awful _Pull- _Wait.

I whirled around just in time to catch her before she ran out of sight, darting around the corner at the end of the block.

_ **T H U M P.** _

'oh.'

_ **T H U M P.** _

'oh....' 

_ **T H U M P.** _

_ **'oh... shit.' ** _

Change of plans. I couldn't let the little doe slip through my fingers now... not now that I knew.... 

I Stepped into a shortcut without a second thought, my smile widening ferally.

This would be **_ F U N._**

** _____________________ **

Like a lotta things in my life, it both was and wasn't as fun as I thought it'd be. Watching her lithe, graceful little body fly down the street was a definite treat; knowing that she flew out of fear brought a mix of more complicated emotions to the plate. That base, primal thrill from knowing she couldn't escape, the desire to comfort her and wipe away her tears, wanting to prove to my **mate **that she didn't need to run... damn. 

I hated it. I _loved _it. 

Either way, I needed more of her, if only to soothe the aching in my **Soul. **

I kept to the shadows, popping in and out of existence in every other alley she passed. It didn't take her more than two minutes to make the sprint to her apartment; if I'd been a little more focused on anything else other than **her,** I might've stopped to frown at the rundown state of the place. In such a bad part of town, too... what the hell was the doe doing walking home alone every night in a place like this?

But those things could wait. For now... I appeared behind her as she desperately fumbled with her keys, waiting patiently for about thirty seconds before she finally got the locks undone. I watched her slam the door and listened to all four locks turn with no small amount of amusement. Aw.... how cute. I gave her a bit to get herself situated, just to give the little thing a break before I inevitably scared her again. 

I cringed at that thought. Ugh. This was gonna be a 'worse before it's better' scenario, wasn't it?

When I shortcutted into her apartment, she was still by the door. She had fallen to her knees, legs splayed, shoulders curled defensively inward. She was shaking and covering her eyes like a child as her sobs flowed freely beneath the long river of hair that draped down to hide her face.

Damn... even like this she looked incredible to me. But the really incredible thing wasn't what I saw... it was what I felt. What _she felt. _

All it took was just a peek into her chest, just a breath of the air around her to see the gist of her current **soul** status. Her fear for herself and of me was minimal. Now that she escaped (or believed she had), she wasn't thinking about herself at all. Those tears... I could smell them, clear as day, a bitter cocktail of sadness and regret: grief. She was _grieving_. 

She was grieving, sincerely and profoundly, for a man she _didn't even know. _

My **Soul **stuttered a bit as I contemplated turning back. I didn't deserve a sweet thing like her. I knew, in the very depths of my being, that if I pursued her, she would be tainted. Stained.

_ **T H U M P. ** _

But on the other hand...

_ **T H U M P. ** _

...She would be _**mine**_.

_**T H U M P. **_

_..._Time to bring those eyes back to me. 

With that goal in mind, I quietly took a knee in front of her and gently laid a hand over one of her thin, trembling shoulders, trying my hardest not to grin so my fangs wouldn't show too much. Not that I could help that.

"poor lil' thing..."

She flinched and stiffened as she choked on her own breath with the most adorable squeak I'd ever heard. Aww... oh shit. She's hyperventilating. God damnit. There's the fear. Fuck. 

"damnit, c'mon now..." I cursed as I went to get her off the floor. "aight, up ya ge- ey!" 

The second she left the carpet, she started swinging her little fists and feet, growling like a little tigress through her tears. I was so surprised at her sudden fire that she actually got me pretty good in the jaw before I could pull back, hard enough that my teeth rattled. 

As much as I woulda **L O V E D **to show her how to play nice, I knew that she'd have to get the panic out of her system first before we could move forward. I caught her, I had her, she was mine, it was okay; now she needed to trust me.... somehow.

So I didn't stop her, just pulled her forward and held her, busying my hands with her soft hair while she tuckered herself out. I couldn't help feeling proud that some of her punches actually hurt, even as I growled. The <strike>delicious</strike> smell of blood on my face and her fist told me that she'd done more damage to herself than me with that first swing, but I doubt she noticed in her struggle. I'd have to heal that later.

It was a long, long time before she actually managed to wind down. Actually, it was probably only about five or six minutes, but with the way her little body was wriggling against mine... it was torture. I was staring at the wall above her head, just starting to wonder how much more I could take, when she finally started to slow.

'_oh thank fuck.' _

I sighed in relief before allowing myself a small smile as I finally looked down at the little doe. My soul hummed in satisfaction at the sight of her, gripping my jacket and burying her face in my chest in an instinctive search for the nearest source of comfort.

"aw... ya done, sweetheart? all tuckered out?" I asked, allowing my grinning teeth to brushed the top of her head as I continued to play with her hair. My breath caught when she sniffled and... _nuzzled_ me. She just. Pressed right into me, trying to get closer to her mate without even knowing she was doing it.

"N-No..." she denied as she whimpered meekly into my jacket.

Damnit. That was cute. 

"pff. sure. whatever ya say, doll," I said through the laughter that I was struggling to hold in. Yeah, I'm an asshole. But did she have to be so friggin' adorable all the friggin' time? C'mon, who's really at fault here? 

....yeah, still me. 

After her trembling had subsided a little bit and she wasn't crying as hard, I moved the hand on her back to rub her arm and froze... well, so to speak.

"damn, you're a fuckin' icicle. ya cold?" I asked her, waiting patiently for the answer I already knew. She had to tell me before I could do anything about it, though; I had to let the doe come to me. I held back a chortle when she shyly nodded, but ended up laughing anyway when I dropped her comforter on her head. And harder when she looked at me, registering my face- or lack thereof- for the first time. She just looked so... so... 

"ha! you should see you're face, you're like a lil' rabbit!" I snickered, unable to hold it in anymore. I ignored her flinching when I eskimo wrapped her in the blanket and pulled her back to me, absolutely loving the way her eyes were trained on me and **only** me. Her gaze held mine with a mix of confusion, shock, and awe, her fear all but forgotten as she registered the monster that held her. 

"never seen a skeleton before?" I couldn't help teasing. "two firsts in one night, doll; congrats."

Aaaand there go the water works. Dumbass!

"c'mon, don't start all that up again... i ain't gonna hurt ya, you're alright..." I murmured, cradling her as much as I could to try to ease her shivers. For a second, I thought she might try to fight me again- and part of me hoped she would- but she just let herself relax after a second, thumping her forehead onto my chest again as she surrendered. My soul soured. 

"there we go, good girl..."

"Are you... a-are you going t-to..." she whispered. 

"am i gonna what? kill ya? nah, i'm not a _complete _monster," I smirked. 

My smirk faltered when She stiffened. "You killed him," she accused me icily. There was a sudden distance to her voice that made me tighten my arms around her. "He was alive, and now he's... not."

She was stating simple facts, but the way she said it... I could feel my sins crawling on my back. It... it _hurt. _Then her pleading tone was back, like a switch was flipped, snapping me out of whatever spell she'd put me under. She wanted to know what I was going to do next. 

I answered her honestly. "that'll depend on you, sweetheart."


	3. 3

_"Once fully enslaved, no nation, state, city of this earth, ever afterward resumes its liberty."_

_-Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass: "To The States"_

_ **Your POV:** _

"that'll depend on you, sweetheart."

I paused before pulling back a bit to look up at him through my lashes, swallowing when my eyes met his... not-eyes. Instead of pupils, two pinpricks of red light floated in his empty sockets, like ruby garnet stars in two vast seas of black. They were frightening as they were mesmerizing, and I found myself tilting my head up fully to try and get a better look.

"Heh... like watcha see there, darlin'?"

I flinched at his voice and leaned back when I realized how close his face had gotten to mine. I averted my gaze and squirmed uncomfortably as he leaned in with half-lidded eyes and a wide, wolfish grin, pressing me closer to him. I was grateful that the cold and my drying tears hid my heated blush.

"fuck, lookit that face... you're killin' me here," he rasped as his grin became tighter, strained.

He came closer still, brushing the crook of my neck and shoulder with his teeth as he chuckled. "hmmmm..." he greediy drank in my scent before heaving a slow, growling sigh that heated my skin. He sounded dazed, like a man stumbling homeward after a barhopping binge. I let out a low moan of fear as J instinctively began pushing at his chest in a desperate attempt to get away.

'_No... no. Please, please no...'_

"S-Stop...!" I pleaded desperately, raising my voice for the first time since I'd screamed in the alley. When he stilled against me and loosened his hold slightly, I almost sobbed in relief.

He slowly and stiffly straightened, pulling his dagger-like fangs away from my neck. He looked down at me with an expression I couldn't read. We stared at each other for a few silent moments before he abruptly let me go and stepped away. I watched in bemusement as he promptly turned and walked into the kitchen, crossing the entire living room with just three steps.

"sans."

I cocked my head in confusion. "What?" I asked his back.

"s'my name. sans the skeleton," he said as he opened my pantry and started casually rummaging through it like it was a completely natural thing to rifle through someone else's property without permission. I fought a scowl as he continued; there was no point in getting annoyed right now. "wish i could say it's nice ta meetcha... well, i guess it's nice for me, at least. for you, not so much," he chuckled.

He fell silent then as he continued looking for whatever he wanted off my shelves, leaving me to my frantic, panicked thoughts. Quietly as I could, I dropped the blanket from around my shoulders and cast a cursory glance around the room, looking for anything that might help me get away.

"not gonna bother askin' your name; doubt you'd gimme an answer." He huffed out a small laugh. "guess i'll keep callin' ya sweetheart. no skin offa my back."

I continued searching as he talked to himself. My gaze landed on my home phone on the coffee table just five feet away. Maybe if I could just dial 911 while he was distracted... couldn't they track my location or something?

It was worth a shot.

I took one slow step towards my destination before stopping to flinch as the skeleton- Sans- loudly shut my pantry door and moved on to the fridge. What in the world was he looking for??

"for what it's worth..." he said, raising his voice slightly so I could hear. "m'sorry ya had ta see all that mess. can't say i'm not enjoyin' myself here, but still."

I waited a few seconds to make sure he wasn't turning around before inching my way forward, bit by bit towards the phone, keeping my eyes trained on his back the entire way. By some miracle, I made it there without being betrayed by the deafening beat of my fearful heart. I prayed fervently to whatever God might be listening as I laid a trembling hand on the reciever. It was now or never. I finally allowed my eyes to leave him for a moment as I turned my focus to the phone.

Ping.

The second I looked away, my entire body suddenly froze before dropping to the floor like a bag of bricks. My limbs felt like they were encased in concrete; no matter how much I struggled, I couldn't move an inch from my place on the carpet. I felt a strange weight centered around my chest area, hanging heavily on my heart and making it a chore to inhale. Confused and frightened, I flicked my eyes back to Sans to see that he had lifted a hand lazily above his head; his phalanges were encased in what looked like fire, burning the same garnet hue as his eyelights. He hadn't even turned around, but I knew that it was his doing.

Sweat beaded on my brow and tears gathered in my eyes as he pulled something from the back of the fridge and finally turned to face me, kicking the door shut with his foot. He was loose and relaxed as he casually leaned against the fridge, evidently completely unbothered by my bold attempt. I inwardly cowered under his dispassionate gaze as he studied me, raking his half-lidded eyes over me, drinking me in at his leisure.

I somehow made it to my hands and knees, trembling and panting with the strain of holding myself up against his magic.

He let out a low whistle through his lazy grin. "well damn, lookit you!" He chuckled. "takin' it like a champ. you shouldn't be movin' right now, doll."

It was a good half minute before he spoke again. "...hm. didn't think you'd be such a frail little thing," he muttered thoughtfully as he popped the lid off the- was that ketchup? Was he drinking it straight? What the heck??

"I... what?" I asked, as confused as I was distracted by his outlandish taste in beverages.

He huffed. "eh. forget it, s'not important. but back ta what i was sayin.'

With a sudden mischevious grin, he crooked a single glowing finger at me in a 'come hither' motion. I couldn't hope to resist as I was dragged across the room and into the kitchen by whatever power Sans was subjecting me to.

When I reached him, my wrists were jerked harshly behind my back, causing me to cry out as I was pulled up to float face to face in front of Sans. He gripped my chin and ran his thumb along my lips before crooking it, dipping the tip into my mouth slightly.

"now, ta answer you're question... what happens next? what i do? what happens to you?" he pushed his thumb a little further in, growling his next words.

"...what i do t o y o u..."

I shuddered.

Sans shrugged then and shifted his hand so that it covered the side of my face; I tried to ignore the fact that his hand was big enough to grip my entire head. "like I said; it all depends on you, sweetheart. ya gotta decide now how smart you're gonna be about this, 'cause that?" he jerked his head towards the room behind me in reference to my failed attempt at an s.o.s., "not gonna lie, doll; that was pretty damn stupid. tryin' ta pull a fast one on a friggin' mafioso? can't con a con, darlin'."

My eyes widened as he wagged his finger in my face playfully. The mob? Was he some sort of mafia hitman? Oh God, this was so much worse than I'd thought.

"pff. don't gimme that look," He smirked, amusement plain on his face. "You're a smart gal, ya had ta've guessed it by now."

...Maybe.

"well, now thatcha know me... i think it's only fair..." his fanged grin became wider, darker, more menacing as he gently stroked his hand down my face. He trailed his fingers over my cheek, down my neck, over my collar bone... until they came to a halt on my chest, hovering menacingly right over my heart.

"i think it's only fair i get ta learn a bit about you."


	4. Sans.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter from Sans' POV.  
....yep. he's an asshole. But he admits it, and that's the first step! 
> 
> Anyway, I won't be switching POV's the entire time, it's just important for this part. Yo, I've got the next, like, fifteen chapters planned out what the h*ck

_"...I must not go,_   
_I see her close beside me with silent lips sad and tremulous."_

_-Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass: "Once I Passed Through a Populous City_"

_ **Sans' POV:** _

I knew what she was trying to do. Of course I knew. She was ridiculously easy to read with the way her **soul** projected; it was so **_loud_**. I could sense her intent without even _looking_ at her. So, Feeling the slight spike of anxiety in her emotions, I pretended to continue searching for the ketchup bottle I already had in my hand, curious to see what she would do and how far she'd run with it. 

When I felt her nerves reach a sudden peak, I casually raised a hand and gripped her soul without turning around.

PING. THUD.

I shoved the refrigerator closed with my foot and leaned against it, making sure to keep my Expression neutral. She needed to trust me, yeah, but first... she needed to know that she didn't have a choice in the matter. 

Her breathing was deep and ragged as she laid there, trapped under my magic. I felt a surge of satisfaction and... heat, at seeing her so helpless against me. Oh, I was definitely gonna explore this later... I nearly purred at the thought. 

I expected her to resist, wanted her to in fact; feeling her wriggling against my soul was incredible. What I _didn't_ expect her to do was _succeed_. my eye sockets widened as she somehow lifted herself to her hands and knees; it was a slow and shaky process that I was sure she'd be feeling in the morning, but she made it, maintaining eye contact with me the entire time. I had to fight hard against the second, stronger wave of heat that swept through me. Shit, that was hot. 

I whistled lowly. "well damn, lookit you! takin' it like a champ. you shouldn't be movin' right now, doll," I informed her with a grin.

She just stared. 

So I stared back for awhile, just enjoying the view, wondering how long she'd be able to keep up her little rebellion. Not too much longer if the violent tremors in her supporting limbs were any indication. In all honesty, I had always imagined my mate to be someone who could match my strength, who could take whatever shit my dumbass self gave 'em and throw it right back in my face. But her... 

"...hm. didn't think you'd be such a frail little thing," I murmured to myself as I took a thoughtful swig of the ketchup. Pff, the look on her face.

As a mate, this girl wasn't anything like what I'd expected her to be. I mean don't get me wrong, from what I'd seen so far, she was still exceptionally strong, especially for a human. But her strength was... softer. It was subtle and small, but it was there, Buried deep inside. There was an unbelievable _fire_ burning in her hidden bones, I could feel it...

'_she just needs a little push is all.' _

Oh shit, did she say something? I spoke out loud, didn't I? I shrugged it off and pretended like I hadn't just zoned out for an entire minute. 

"eh. forget it, s'not important. but back ta what i was sayin."

'_just a little push...'_

My smirk returned as I extended a single finger towards her, motioning her closer. The look on the little doe's face as she was jerked up and pulled right to me amused me to no end. I nearly purred with delight at the cute little sounds of protest she made when I bound her hands behind her back, bringing her close enough that I could feel her frantic breath brush my face. She looked so _delicious _like this... I couldn't completely hold myself back. I grabbed her chin and ran a thumb over her lower lip before dipping the bone slightly into her mouth. I shuddered at the sensation.

"now, ta answer you're question... what happens next? what i do? what happens to you?" 

I pressed my phalange forward just a tad more, brushing her tongue. "...what i do **t o y o u..."**

Oh, that _face_. I decided to give her a break and moved to cradle her cheek instead. "like I said; it all depends on you, sweetheart. ya gotta decide now how smart you're gonna be about this, 'cause that?" I motioned behind her, "not gonna lie, doll; that was pretty damn stupid. tryin' ta pull a fast one on a friggin' mafioso? can't con a con, darlin'."

It was precious how she tried to deny the facts even though she'd already figured it out. 

"well, now thatcha know me... i think it's only fair..." I allowed myself the luxury of running my phalanges down her flushed cheek, ghosting them over her neck and collar bone on their way down. Mmm... god, her skin was smooth, so soft and _warm... _but her body could come later; that wasn't what I was after now. I tore my gaze away from hers and looked down, focusing on where my hand was hovering above her humming soul.

_'just a little bit..._

"i think it's only fair i get ta learn a bit about you."

_'just a little _ _ **push..."** _

_ **P I N G.** _


	5. Check Your Mate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans checks you; you fight back.

_"Even now, your features, joys, speech, house, trade, manners, troubles, follies, costume, crimes, dissipate away from you,_   
_Your true Soul and Body appear before me..."_

_-Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass: "To _ _You_ _"_

_ **Your POV:** _

_**P I N G.** _

The first thing I registered was the _pull_, centered deep in my chest beneath his hand. I'd already felt a similar sensation when he first used his magic on me, but this was much different, much worse.

I immediately struggled violently against the feeling and protectively clutched my hands across my chest as if attempting to prevent the escape of... something. My arms were, of course, immediately wrenched down to my sides and held there as I whimpered in discomfort and fear. Then the feeling was gone, washed away in a bright flash of gilded green light that shocked me into closing my eyes. When I opened them again...

"What... is that?" I whispered, awestruck by the floating green heart hovering amicably between our chests.

Looking at it and knowing he could see it too, I suddenly felt exposed and vulnerable, far more helpless than I had ever been up to that point. I felt naked, stripped entirely bare before him so that his eyes could hungrily devour every inch of my skin. I felt all of those things, deeply, profoundly, and in the worst possible way.

But that light... It was... it was so...

"_beautiful_," Sans sighed, lifting a phalange to trace it through the tangibly warm glow that emanated from its cartoonish shape. Strings of light followed his fingertip as if trying to attach themselves and anchor the heart to his bones. The heart itself hummed and fluttered every time he came close to it, following his hand's retreat every time he pulled back slightly. He would never let it touch him though, always dodging back just in time.

My body and mind were at odds with each other all the while:

'_Touch me Put me down Hold me closer Run away put it back run away now **why won't you just touch it-'**_

"W-What is that? What are you d-doing to m-me...?" I stuttered softly.

"this? oh, sweetheart..." Sans grinned, his half lidded eyes flickering briefly to mine before training themselves once again on the dancing green heart. "this is your **soul,"** he purred. An audible note of deep satisfaction lingered in his low growl of a voice; Had I not been bound so effectively, I would have had to repress a shudder.

"My... soul...?" I repeated uncertainly, a twinge of intrigue pushing my fear aside for the moment.

"mm-hm," he nodded patiently. When I glanced up at him, a soft and somewhat wistful expression had made its way onto his face as he watched the little heart dance around his fingers like a marionette.

"everything you were, everything you are, everything you could be... it's all right here. it's _you_. and. oh, _____.... you're _stunning_."

My wonder and curiosity was shattered in an instant at the sound of my name. A cold chill that rivaled the snow and ice outside crawled its way up my spine and caught in my throat. My breath hitched as I was strangled once again by my own terror. He knew my name. _He knew my name. **What else could he see?**_

"P-Put it b-back," I choked out, feeling that awful nakedness again, desperate to be whole. He didn't answer.

"_PUT IT BACK!"_ I screamed.

...That's when everything went black.

_**Sans' POV:** _____________________________________

(Y/N)

Exp: 0

LV: 1

HP: 21/35

Atk: 4

Def: 30

'_Doesn't understand why you are doing this.'_ ____________________________________

_______'s soul was the most awe inspiring sight I'd ever laid eyes on. The delicate heart was a bright kelly green with a sort of sunny golden sheen dancing over its surface. Sheer tendrils of lacy mist, hued in an array of deep greens and golds, twirled gracefully around the heart like happy ribbons of living light. The combination was incredibly beautiful... and incredibly rare.

"PUT IT BACK!"

I was startled out of my musings when her unexpected, desperate scream ripped my focus back to her. I couldn't keep the shock off my face as I was surprised once again at her sudden resistance when she had seemed so calm and docile before. I grunted, forced to double my efforts as she struggled against my power for all she was worth, fighting to grab her soul away from my hold.

"Stop it... stop it!! Let me go, put it back, put it BACK!!" she wailed through her angry, panicked tears.

I cursed bitterly and moved her soul out of the way before releasing her and twirling her around so that her back was against my chest, trapping her arms against her midriff and laying a restraining arm across her shoulders.

__________________________________________

(Y/N)

Exp: 0

LV: 1

HP: 15/35

Atk: 4

Def: 30

_**'F E A R.**_'

____________________________________________

Damnit. Alright, that was enough. At this rate, she would seriously injure herself, maybe even crack her own soul.

"sh-sh-sh, it's okay, you're okay," I soothed her quietly, brushing my teeth gently over the crown of her head as I reached over to nudge the stray soul homeward. She whimpered and sagged against me in pure relief when it settled into her chest, finally ceasing her struggles now that she was whole.

I slowly lowered us both to the floor before leaning back against the fridge with her cradled sideways in my lap.

"Shhhh... it's over, i got you baby, i got you, shhh..." I continued to whisper as I rocked her and stroked her hair.

___________________________________________

(Y/N)

Exp: 0

Lv: 1

HP: 15/35

Atk: 4

Def: 30

'_Too tired to understand anything right now._'

____________________________________________

I sighed and looked down to see that her eyes had drifted shut, fluttering weakly as she whimpered. She was worn out, practically passing out in my arms. I felt a twinge of regret in my soul, knowing that her state was partially my fault.

'_partially? the hell am i kiddin'? god damnit...'_

I'd just wanted to push her to use that hidden power of hers. I mean sure, I succeeded, but she'd nearly been hurt in the process, and that... that was too high a price. But at least now I knew what I was working with.

It was a start.


	6. Yo.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, just wanted to let you know that I edit! Prices are negotiable based on what you can pay, but my usual price is $10 per 2500 words. I write pretty fast because I am a recluse with no friends, so it's not really too big a problem.
> 
> Anywho, hit me up at A.n.neeley@att.net if you're interested!  
See ya laterz!
> 
> Ps I also translate Spanish, French, and Italian :3

Hey guys, just wanted to let you know that I edit! Prices are negotiable based on what you can pay, but my usual price is $10 per 2500 words. I write pretty fast because I am a recluse with no friends, so it's not really too big a problem.

Anywho, hit me up at A.n.neeley@att.net if you're interested!  
See ya laterz!

Ps I also translate Spanish, French, and Italian :3


	7. Getting to Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A typical day for you is a fascinating change of pace for Sans.

_"I cannot be awake, for nothing looks to me as it did before, or else I am awake for the first time, and all before has been a mean sleep."_

_-Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass: "Song of Myself"_

** _Your POV:_ **

I'd never had the displeasure of being cursed with a hangover, but that morning, I think I might have gotten close to what I imagined it might be like.

Waking up was slow going, but that was fine; I didn't know what had happened the night before (heck, I didn't know what year it was), but I knew that I didn't want to deal with it until later. Much, much later. Maybe never; maybe I actually was hungover and had blacked out last night so I wouldn't have to remember-

'_heh... you aight there, sweetheart?'_

I sat up with a shriek, throwing the twisted covers off of my torso as I frantically scanned my surroundings. My breathing was deep and wild as my eyes shot back and forth across my empty room.

...I was alone. He... _**sans**_... was gone. I sighed out the breath I was holding and allowed myself to relax just a bit, laying back down and pulling the covers back up to my chin before freezing when I realized that sans had probably carried me to bed. Urgh...Knowing that the skeleton had most likely tucked me in the night before was not helping my already fragile mental state.

The familiar, calming sounds of the waking city outside were at stark odds with my racing thoughts. The warm light of dawn greeted me cheerily through the window, casting soft, chittering patterns on the wall above my bed... Birds sung brightly in the lone tree beyond that wall, going about their business without a care in the world... I could hear people laughing and talking below that tree as they prepared to cross the street, making small talk on their way to their normal nine to five jobs... How strange it seemed that the sun would rise that morning, but there it was: the day still started, right on time.

...Could I really take any of that right now?

It was so surreal; there I was, after everything I'd felt and seen the night before, just lying in my bed like nothing had happened. Like this was just another morning. Like it was all just some outrageous dream... or more accurately, an especially vivid nightmare.

I stared listlessly at the ceiling of my dingy apartment as I slowly sorted through the circumstances leading up to that point. The alleyway, the shot, running home, him... my _**soul**_. what had sans done to me? Why couldn't I remember anything after... _that?_

Worse still than what I couldn't remember were the things I knew I wouldn't be able to forget. Those lifeless eyes looking blankly off into the distance over the red shock of blood soaking through the white snow... it was an image that was sure to remain seared into the back of my mind until the day I died. And from the way things were looking, that day might arrive ahead of schedule. That thought nearly swung me back into panic mode. Oh God, forget what he'd done, what was Sans planning to do with me?

_'I have to leave. Now.'_

I threw my comforters off and quickly stood, fully intending to pack away what little I owned and go into hiding- I'd be fine, it was nothing I hadn't handled before- when a dark bundle sitting on my desk caught my eye. I walked over to tentatively pick up and examine the pile of fabric and... what in the world?

"A coat...?" I murmured softly to myself as I ran my fingers along the expensive looking material, completely in awe at how incredibly soft and luxurious the article both looked and felt. The black coat was furlined and insulated, built for both fashion and functionality. I squealed as I nuzzled my face into the hood, unable to help my giddy smile; Even if I'd saved for months I wouldn't have been able to afford something like the work of art I was holding!

Forgetting myself in my excitement, I almost missed the sliver of paper that fluttered to the ground in my rush to get the coat on. My mood abruptly dropped again as the slightly crumpled note reminded me of whom I owed the lavish thing now weighing heavily on my shoulders.

Embarrassed despite no one being around to witness my foolishness, I bent slowly down and meekly plucked the page off the floor. It read:

hey sweetheart, hope u liked the gift. cant wait 2 c it on u 2day. c u soon,

~sans

ps, i know what you're thinking. **Don't**. ok ok 4 real this time,

~sans

... I needed a moment after that.

Reading over the note again and again, I didn't know whether I should have been shaking with dread or laughing at the ridiculously ironic font. I ended up compromising with a weak, slightly hysterical chuckle. Comic sans; how fitting. 

I crumpled up the paper and tossed it towards the garbage bin by my desk, not bothering to retrieve the offending thing when it bounced off the rim and hit the floor. I really didn't feel like bothering with anything that day, to be honest... but I knew it didn't matter what I felt. The world was revolving with or without me, and like it or not, I was a cog in that machine just like everyone else. 

I let out a drained sigh and dragged my feet to the shower.

____________________________________

_ **Sans' POV:**_

She... gave it away.

She _gave it away. _

Maybe I should have been ashamed for short cutting to her apartment at the crack of dawn, but I honestly couldn't have cared less; after all the trauma she'd been through the night before, I had to know how she was doing. Or more accurately... how bad the damage was. I'd stayed outside her apartment door after tucking her into bed, letting the guilt and worry and unwanted **heat **eat away at me for hours. Needless to say I didn't get much sleep after that.

But there I was, grumpy and tired off my bony ass at seven in the fuckin' morning, watching in disgust as she gave away my expensive apology to some weathered old crone.

I was **l i v i d.**

...But then.

My anger softened slightly when _____ kneeled down on the dirty street to wrap the woman in a hug that was infinitely warmer than the coat itself. My soul stuttered a bit as her embrace was returned with a wide smile and with just as much fervor as it was given. After giving another hug to the other very similar looking old woman beside the first, _______ went on her way, a soft smile on her face despite the tension in her eyes and shoulders.

I was livid... and confused.

For the next hour I lingered in the shadows behind her, watching as she made four more stops further into town. The first stop was to greet a group of four people of varying ages who were holed up in the very back of an alleyway beside three ratty tents and a burning oil drum. She gave them each ten dollars in cash and stood with them around the fire, talking and laughing like they were old friends. They even gave her a little cup of the soup they were eating; I cringed in distaste when one of them said it was "home" made- they had all chuckled a little at that- but _____ didn't seem to mind, accepting the meager meal like it was the most natural thing in the world.

The last couple visits, each to a single person, spanned several blocks. They all went pretty much the same way as the last two, with her giving them ten dollars before chatting them up. The tightness gradually drained away with each person she greeted, until finally, her smile was brighter and more genuine than I'd ever seen. Not that she'd ever smiled for me; after all, I didn't exactly give her a reason to...

I was livid, and confused, and in absolute awe. Everything she did, everything she gave... God, she was just so _pure. _How did something like this girl exist in such a rotten world? I'd seen the kindness in her soul, of course, the brightest and most concentrated light I had ever seen... but to see it in action was a jarring experience that made me feel inadequate and small for the first time in years. How could she ever accept a beast like me...?  
____________________________________

** _Your POV: _ **

After making my daily rounds I headed to Louie's, chilled as the dickens but happy nonetheless. My morning visits to my friends always left me a bit more chipper than when I started. Granted I couldn't help them much, but it still gave me a little piece of mind to know that I could at least make sure they were fed and warm. Once I started making more money and found Garrett and Casey some jobs, maybe we could work toward getting everyone a place to stay. The thought made me so wisfully giddy that for a moment I forgot my own problems.

It was the least I could do for them after all they had done for me.

When I reached Louie's at nine thirty, like clockwork, the homey diner was already buzzing with the usual morning crowd. Smiling, I breathed in the familiar aroma of waffles and omelets and coffee before heading behind the counter to start my shift.


	8. Shopping Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You go on a not-so-routine grocery run.

_ **Your POV:** _

I walked out the diner doors feeling refreshed, happy in spite of my post-shift lack of energy. As one of only two waitresses Louie's could afford to pay, I really had my work cut out for me. At least it paid well; being a (very) small business, the job was technically minimum wage, but I always recieved easily a hundred dollars in tips every day from the friendly people that graced our humble little kitchen. Our dishwasher, Randy, always scolded me for "buttering up those poor folks up front." 

...Whatever _that_ was supposed to mean.

I waved and chirped a cheery goodbye to the last stragglers of the late lunch crowd, smiling widely at their answering farewell calls and likewise waves before I forced open the rusted front door. My smile turned into a wince at the resulting obnoxious creak; I would definitely need to fix that old thing up again on my next shift. 

I glanced down and flipped open my relic of a phone to check the time... ah, good. four o'clock on the dot; I would still have time to stop by the grocery store, go home to shower, and make it to my second job at The Free Man's Bar before six. 

I hummed happily along to the songs running through my head as I made my way down the street, giggling once or twice at the thick steam that clouded around my face after a particularly deep inhale. There were a couple times where I stuttered, remembering the skeleton from the night before... but I forcefully shoved those wretched thoughts to the back of my mind whenever they surfaced, denying myself the luxury of moping... and denying _HIM_ the privilege of having any power over my good mood. I hummed louder and resolutely hastened my stride, determined not to let that absolute _brute_ ruin my day; I would burn that bridge when came to it, I decided, and not a single second sooner.

My store trip was a standard middle-of-the-month stock up; milk, eggs, bread, lunchmeat, <strike>ketchup, to replace my recently pilfered bottle</strike> and chicken flavored ramen. A simple in and out run... or it would have been, if the ache in my feet hadn't pulled me to the insoles on the shoe aisle.

I'd been meaning to buy some for quite some time, and if the pins and needles currently plaguing my heels and arches were any indication, the purchase was long overdue. Maybe some new laces as well; if I took my current ones out, I doubted I'd be able to fit the frayed ends back through the holes.

I was thoughtfully comparing the prices of two different brands when it happened. It started with a sudden chill in the air that would have sent me running for the exit if it weren't accompanied by a sickeningly familiar presence caging me in from behind. I was too shocked to even question how I knew exactly who was behind me without having to look. I just... stood there, stiff as a board, white knuckling the products in my hand as a deep chuckle sounded at my back, clearing my head by at least a foot:

"Well ain't this a sweet surprise?" Sans purred lowly. 

I didn't answer. I didn't acknowledge his presence. All I did in response was replace the insoles in my left hand before beating a hasty retreat, dodging to the side and walking quickly towards my shopping cart.

"Heh..."

I squeaked in shock when he snapped into existence in front of me just before I reached the end of the aisle, stopping me abruptly with a firm hand on the front end of my cart, nearly making me run into the handle. 

"you just gonna split without sayin' hi, sweetheart? Gotta say, I'm kinda hurt." 

No. No! He was _not _going to do this to me again. Not now. I wouldn't let him! 

Desperate to escape, I snatched my purse up and turned again... only to be snared once more, this time with a hand on my shoulder. I let out a low whine of fear as I stared down at his slightly scuffed but still expensive looking dress shoes, unwilling to look into his dark eyes or give him the luxury of seeing the terror in mine. 

Sans was silent for a moment before applying a light squeeze to my shoulder. If he'd intended to comfort me, he failed miserably; His grip, though cautious and gentle, carried a heavy power behind it that left me sick with fear. 

"yeesh... you're really scared a' me, ain't ya?" He murmured. 

...I gave him nothing. 

He brought his hand to my chin and tried to lift my head, but I flinched away violently, stubbornly yanking myself from his grip before he had the chance.

_No_.

Thankfully he didn't push it, opting instead to fiddle with a strand of my hair, twirling it leisurely around his fingers.

"...i get it," he told me softly, without inflection. "i put ya through the ringer last night. ya got every right ta be scared... that's on me."

A shudder ran through me at the memory. He seemed to stiffen then, tightening his grip on my hair before letting it slip from his fingers.

"_____...."

I flinched again in response to his his dark warning tone and tried to pull back when he laid his skeletal hands on both my shoulders. 

"_____. look at me," he commanded flatly. He waited a moment, and when I didn't comply, he slipped one of his hands slowly up the back of my neck and tangled it into my hair to tilt my face towards his. My breath caught in my throat when I saw his stony expression, a direct contrast to the strange, smoldering warmth in his dark eyes.

"i'm not gonna hurt ya, sweetheart. no one's ever gonna hurt ya again," he promised me fervently. "i protect what's mine."

"I-I'm not yours," I murmured numbly, triggering a sighing laugh from him. He seemed equal parts disappointed, annoyed, and amused.

"whatever ya say, doll."

His self assured tone tied my stomach in painful knots as fear and anger warred violently inside me. How could he believe that? How could he think that I would ever lie down and allow him to own me, like some kind of pet or slave? After how cruel he'd been to me... after what he'd _done_...

'_Don't...'_

_'_ _ **Don't touch me!!'** _

_"NO!" _I cried out suddenly, startling him thoroughly enough that he actually let me go when I shoved at his chest with all my might. I felt the sting of my hair catching on the grooves of his phalanges as I stumbled back, almost flying off my feet with the force of my movement.

I backed away slowly on shaking legs as he watched me, keeping my gaze trained on his. His eyes... God, his eyes. The sockets were now dead and lightless, like deep, fathomless pools of sunken pitch etched into his snarling skull. There was a dark within those soulless voids, an obsessive longing that threatened to swallow me whole. I tore my gaze away from his oppressive stare and whirled away, booking it down the aisle as I ignored the strange, sudden ache in my chest that seemed to grow in proportion to the distance between us.

I wasn't stopped this time; in fact, I made it all the way to the front entrance without incident... aside from the concerned glances the other customers shot my way of course. I only stopped when I made it to the doors, bending to rest my hands on my knees as I panted heavily from both the adrenaline and the head rush from the unplanned workout. I wasn't built for physical activity... but at least he didn't follow me. I could only hope I would be lucky enough not to see him again for a good while.

"Hello? Earth to freak? Are you freaking deaf?!" 

My exhaustion was pushed back by alarm as the venomous shouts registered in my ears. I turned towards the commotion to find that a cashier just a couple registers away from the exit was snarling at a customer that I couldn't see behind the nearby shelves. Seeing that a small crowd had begun to form, I allowed my curiosity to overcome my fear and joined the spectators. The worker, a seething middle aged woman, continued to rant as I approached: 

"Are you stupid?! I. Said. Leave!" She snarled. "Your kind aren't welcome here!"

What... what in the world was she _saying? _Shocked and apalled, I hastened my steps to see what had her so riled... _Oh. _

Through the growing congregation of curious bystanders, I saw none other than Sans himself standing before the spitting woman, staring at her with a face of stone and eyes of steel. He was holding an armful of-

Were those spaghetti boxes?

I stood there uncertainly for a moment, torn between interfering and walking away while he was distracted. Truthfully, the option of stepping in shouldn't have even crossed my mind. Not if I had any good sense. And yet... the plain _wrongness _of the situation struck me in a way that made it impossible to ignore. My parents had taught me to stand for what's right, to protect others whenever possible no matter the victim. I just... 

_I just had to. _

So, swallowing my reservations and putting aside my fear, I pushed through the onlookers and stepped up to the register, ignoring Sans completely to focus on the misguided cashier. 

"Hello, miss. Would you mind sparing me a moment?"


	9. Middle Child Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting the family.

** _Sans' POV: _ **

I went home at the same time she finished her shift, intending to take a little nap to stock up my HP before she made her way to her second job. Yeah, I knew her schedule, I'm a friggin' creep. Sue me. 

Despite how tired I was from not sleeping a wink the night before, I just couldn't make myself drift off. I couldn't stop thinking about her, wishing I could be holding her close to me, safe in my arms and in my bed. God, the distance was painful; I didn't know how much more of it I could take. 

...

I was only about five minutes into my moping session when the door to my room suddenly swung open with a bang so loud that it literally shook the walls. I jumped so hard that I fell off the bed, whacking my skull on the nightstand on my way down.

I didn't have to look to know who it was; There was only one person on the planet who could barge into my room like that without losing a limb...

"SANS!!"

...And that person was my kid brother, Papyrus.

I let out a garbled sound that was somewhere between a groan and a curse before answering.

"oof... yeah boss?"

"I WANT YOU TO- WHY ARE YOU ON THE FLOOR?"

"heh. guess i was jus' feelin' a little... _down," _I joked as I pushed myself to my feet. Hey, whaddaya know, that pun worked two ways... Paps didn't need to know that though.

The eight foot ball of narcissism and anger issues standing in my doorway stomped its foot, shaking the room again. "IT IS FAR TOO EARLY FOR YOUR TASTELESS HUMOR, BROTHER!!" he screeched.

"uh, isn't it four o' clock...?"

"IT IS _ALWAYS _TOO EARLY!!"

I was already getting a headache from the shouting, but I was too lazy to deal with the consequences of telling him to cool it. Besides, he couldn't really help it, not without a fuck ton of effort on his part; As a monster with a very, very, **v e r y ** capital font, Paps was just naturally loud as shit. And with an equally explosive personality to match his voice, even Undyne couldn't hold a candle to my bro's pipes. If you were within a two block radius of Papyrus Gaster, you'd fuckin' know it.

"sorry boss."

"NO YOU'RE NOT."

"heh. guilty... wait."

I looked him over a second time, my eye sockets narrowing, then widening in alarm as I finally noticed the little dents and cracks scattered liberally over his bony body. The wounds looked over two weeks old, likely due to some recent healing magic, but... stars, he looked like he'd lost a fight with a sentient mutant cheese grater.

I breathed out a sympathetic hiss. "fuck, bro... what the hell happened to you?" I asked. 

Papyrus looked down at himself before his eyes darkened into an even deeper scowl than usual. "...NOTHING," he scoffed as he pointedly avoided my gaze. Was that a blush on his cheek bones? The fuck? 

"are ya sure? cause ya look kinda-" 

"THAT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" He snapped defensively. 

Knowing I probably wouldn't get anything out of him anyway, I decided to cut my losses and stop digging; Maybe I'd ask him. Later when he was less pissy. 

"aight, aight, i get the picture. sowhat brings ya to my office, brosky?" I asked, swapping out my concern for an easy grin.

If I were anyone else, the look he gave me would have chilled my bones; Normally he only looked this ticked when he was about to royally fuck up someone's shit, but I knew I was one of the only two people on the planet who could mess with him without getting my shit royally fucked up.

"I SEEM TO RECALL ASKING YOU TO GO TO THE STORE THIS MORNING, SANS," Papyrus informed me darkly as he crossed his lanky arms over his chest. "WOULD YOU CARE TO EXPLAIN TO ME WHY WE ARE STILL OUT OF SPAGHETTI?"

My eyelids clicked as I blinked. "huh. i guess that was a thing that happened."

"SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?"

"uh... go to the sto-"

"AND ON THE FUCKING DOUBLE, BROTHER," He cut me off before turning on his heel and marching out of the room. I could hear him stomping all the way down the stairs. "IF YOU HURRY, I MAY CONSIDER LETTING YOU HAVE SOME TONIGHT!"

I sighed and rolled my eye-lights skyward as a door slammed downstairs; he'd probably gone to his personal dojo to mangle another batch of training dummies.

...Fuckin' edge lord.

"Trouble in paradise, brother?"

_"gah **fuck!" **_

I jumped out of my nonexistent skin for the second time in five minutes before whirling around to snarl at the intruder.

"god fucking _damnit_ wings, i swear to _god-"_

"I didn't intend to startle you," He cut in with a lazy wave of his hand. "My apologies, brother."

"Bullshit."

The skeleton leaning on the wall across my room graced me with the signature smug smirk that always got my blood boiling without fail.

"Hm. Guilty."

Wing-Dings Gaster, or Wings (and occasionally Dingus) for short, was the head honcho and founder of our little family business. Papyrus might have been twice as loud, but at least _he _was tolerable and even a little fun sometimes. Wings was a cocky, conniving, sadistic son of a bitch who had a stick shoved so far up his coccyx he should be tasting wood.

...He also happened to be my older brother.

Of the three of us, Wings was the only one who actually knew our parents before they died nearly thirty years ago. He'd been eighteen when it happened, while Paps and I were just baby bones at one and two, so we were both too young to have anything more than faint, hazy memories of memories of a time when every day wasn't a struggle to survive. Wings though... he got to _live _that dream, for his entire childhood. Before all that, he didn't struggle for shit; He lived it large, pampered and catered to and spoiled with an extensive, _expensive _private education that I used to envy. But meh, Got a couple doctorates anyway, so fuck 'em. Who needs highschool anyway.

From what Wings told us, Cambria and Web-Dings Gaster pretty much had it made. A big-ass mansion, a hoard of servants, couple of pools, and some over-the-top gardens that would've made Martha Stewart cream herself. You know those huge bushes that people carve into animals and shit? They had those too. And a _lot _of statues. _Naked _statues. Priceless.

My older brother's history was probably the reason he rotted into such an arrogant bastard in the first place. And when Papyrus started to take after him... ugh, headaches for days. But luckily, it was that same attitude that pushed Wings back to the top and dragged us up along with him; If nothing else, I'd always be grateful to him for that. Despite everything, I loved him like a brother.

...Still annoying as fuck, though.

"whatever," I muttered sullenly, praying it'd be quick; I didn't have enough patience to deal with both my bros today. "whaddaya want? and don't gimme that little, _'ohhhh, i just came to say hiiii to my dear brotherrrr,' _line. you don't just say hi. you only come here when you want shit."

That damn smirk of his just widened. "How cruel, Sans. Do you really think so little of me?" He asked.

"yup." 

"I see. I'd love to say you're wrong, but..." he shrugged. "What can you do? I am who I am." 

"ok, wings, bro, i love ya, but i ain't in the mood for any a' you're shit right now. get to it or geddout," I snapped. My glare darkened when he didn't answer for a second. 

Then: "Where did you go last night, Sans?"

Well damn, if he didn't have my attention before, he sure as shit did now. I had just barely enough control to stop my eyelights from disappearing with the shock of his question. He, on the other hand, made no effort to hide his emotions. Everything about him suddenly screamed danger. He sounded casual, calm, way too calm. This wasn't my brother... this was the Don of the Silver Skulls.

"i went ta take care a' buck, like ya told me to," I answered him smoothly, keeping my expression casual and slightly confused as if wondering why he was asking. Ha! Eat your damn heart out Leo, that shit was Oscar-worthy.

"Really? An hour is a long time for a simple disposal..." He mused. "Are you quite sure that nothing held you up?"

'_t__hink fast, sansy. don't fuck this up.' _

"weeeell, I _did_ port the body outta town, gave 'im a proper human burial; he was a pal, yanno?" I explained, sheepishly rubbing the back of my skull. God _damn, _I was good.

It wasn't _technically _a lie; I actually did end up burying him about twenty miles south of town after I left _____'s place. Even though we were already compensating his family with enough money to set them up for life, I had to have my own piece of mind too. He really had been a good friend of mine despite that shit he pulled... and even then, I couldn't really blame the guy for just wanting to stay alive.

  
Wings searched my face for a moment before nodding. "Alright. I believe you."

God, what a relief...

"However_."_

** _What._ **

"I also believe that you are hiding something important from us. You can tell me whatever story you want, Sans, but your **_soul_**..." he cocked an eyebrow at me as he raised a hand to tap at his chest. "...Your **_soul_** sings a different tune."

With those cryptic closing words, he disappeared as suddenly as he'd come, leaving me standing there alone with my anxiety. His soul sight wasn't nearly as clear as mine, so there was no telling what he'd gleaned in his inspection. What did he know? Would he look for her? What would he do if he found her? Maybe I was making a bigger deal out of this than I needed to; there was no way Wings would do anything to put my soulmate in danger... Right?

...Right?

God, I needed sleep.

Not wanting to kill myself with stress until _after_ I had a nap, I took a shortcut to the grocery store to grab the spaghetti before Boss got too impatient. The quicker I got this done, the quicker I could make up for the sleep I'd lost the night before, maybe stock up on some HP.

But, you know... shit happens.


	10. The Trouble With Instinct

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans' internal struggle; with the kind of life he's lived, it's hard to display affection healthily. 
> 
> Let's hope he figures it out.

_This is the female form, vapor;_

_A divine nimbus exhales from it from head to foot;_

_It attracts with fierce undeniable attraction,_   
_I am drawn by its breath as if I were no more than a helpless vapor, all falls aside but myself. And what was expected of heaven or fear'd of hell, are now consumed... and the response is likewise ungovernable."_

_-Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass: "Children of Adam" _

_ **Sans' POV:**_

I didn't plan on seeing ______ anymore that day. I really didn't. In fact, I'd actually intended to give her a break, a little time to recover from our mockery of a meet-cute the night before. But when I sensed her so nearby, felt the familiar draw of her _**soul**_... It was impossible to resist the pull. My feet moved on their own as I was taken completely by the primal, instinctual need to be closer to my mate. I felt my own soul lifting the closer I got to her, slowly but surely alleviating the tension throbbing so constantly within in my chest that I had forgotten it was even there.

When I finally laid eyes on her, an overwhelming wave of relief crashed over me. I wanted to be closer. I _needed _to be closer. I'd been riding the pine for too long; I had to have her in my arms.

_ **N o w. ** _

Pretty much all humans were out of touch with their souls, and judging by the fact that she didn't notice my presence until I was right behind her, _____ was no exception. The predator in me crooned in delight at her reaction, how she stiffened and began to shake as the enticing aroma of her helpless fear filled the air. She was so perfect, so naturally submissive...

_Mine._

I couldn't hold back the soft laugh of glee that slipped out, brushing the hairs on the crown of her head.

"Well ain't this a sweet surprise?"

If I hadn't felt the _delicious _stab of fear in her soul at the sound of my voice, I would've thought she hadn't heard me. But no, if I didn't know better... I'd say she was _ignoring me. _

'_heh. __let's __see how long you can keep that up, darlin'...'_

Eager to have those wide, expressive eyes looking up at me again, I reached my hands out turn her around, huffing in amusement as she whirled and ducked right out from under my arms like a little door mouse scampering away from a cat. Wait, was she stopping for her grocery cart? Oh my god she was precious.

I glanced at the rack of cheap insoles she'd been looking at and made a quick note to myself to get her a new pair of shoes... then I made a second note to find someway to get her to not give them away to the nearest fucking stray.... but that could wait. I shortcutted to the other end of the aisle, grabbing the front of her shopping cart to stop her. The damn thing actually dented as I grasped it in my fist- what did they make this shit out of, tin foil??

The shocked little squeak and 'oof!' Sounds she made after her basket's sudden halt were too cute for words.

"you just gonna split without sayin' hi, sweetheart? gotta say, I'm kinda hurt," I teased with a wide grin that she didn't look up to see.

_____ tried again, this time just grabbing her hand bag and abandoning her groceries before she ran. Oh c'mon, why was she still trying? She was a smart girl, smart enough to know what battles to pick... to know what battles she'd _**lose.**_

Unsurprisingly, this was one of those battles. I caught her again easily, satisfied that this time, she didn't try to run away, emphasis on _try. _But...

She still wasn't talking. She still wasn't looking at me. She just had her head bowed meekly as she shook, her delicate, yet calloused little hands clenched into white-knuckled fists at her sides. I felt a lump of guilt building in my soul, followed by a twinge of annoyance at said lump of guilt for ruining my mood.

I hesitated for a moment as my instincts battled with my lo- my softer side. In the end, I honestly have no idea which side won. Bu whatever the case, now that I had her, my body was calming down considerably and had begun to move on it's own again, applying a light pressure to her shoulder. Like I said, I had no idea which side of me came out on top, so I really don't know what I was doing; I mean, was I comforting her? Asserting dominance? Did I love the whine that it drew from her, or did I hate it?

"yeesh... you're really scared a' me, ain't ya?" I asked softly, my grin fading a bit. She didn't give me an answer, but that was okay; I didn't really expect one.

She jerked her head away with a grunt when I tried to bring her head up to see what was in her eyes, but I let her; it was enough for now that she was so close.

"...i get it," I told her, playing with her soft, silky hair as I spoke. "i put ya through the ringer last night. ya got every right ta be scared, sweetheart... that's on me."

And that was about as close to a sincere apology as anyone had ever gotten outta me. Take it or leave it. Though by the violent shudder that ran through her body as a reaction, she was most likely going to leave it. For her to be shaking that much, almost rattling the bones in my hands...

"_____...."

She flinched. Tried to twist away.

No.

"_____. look at me," I told her sternly. Unwilling to wait as she hesitated, I wound my phalanges through the hair at the base of her neck and skull, right at her scalp, and slowly tilted her head back. She wasn't nearly as panicked as last night, but the fear was still there, shining in her tears. Of course it was; She wasn't like me and my brothers. She didn't belong in our world, and I should probably have stopped treating her like she did.

I didn't, of course, asshole that I am... but I decided to try again.

"i'm not gonna hurt ya, sweetheart. no one's ever gonna hurt ya again," I murmured, staring deeply into her eyes, desperately trying to make her understand. "i protect what's mine."

"I-I'm not yours," she stuttered quietly, voice cracking halfway through her denial.

I sighed, a twinge of sadness making its way past the elation of her nearness. Yeah, I knew she had a point; She belonged to me in _my_ mind, but to _her? _Nah, I was just some guy that she probably would have already called the cops on if she didn't know that we basically owned the police.

"whatever ya say, doll," I agreed neutrally. I probably sounded like an asshole; '_yes dearest, whatever you say darling!' ..._ugh. wayta go, Sansy.

What happened next really shouldn't have surprised me as much as it did.

About five seconds later, she screamed out a vehement 'NO!' and shoved me away. Or tried to, anyway; I didn't budge an inch, so she ended up almost falling on her ass. I winced inwardly as a couple strands of the hair I'd been holding were wrenched free of her scalp in her hurry to get away... to get away **_from me. _**

I couldn't hold back the wave of rage that took me then at the prospect. I felt my eyelights disappear as I watched her, pushing back the warning growl threatening boiling up in my chest. My instincts took over All I could think, all I knew, was that no one, _no one, _would take her from me. _Not even her._

She backed away slowly, warily, with her hands outstretched as if she were trying to placate some predator (which she basically was) while I tried my best to reign myself in.

'_stop. that's enough. just stop and think. let her go. you weren't supposed to do this today. let her go. let her go. just _**_let her go for once, damnit!!'_**

So I did. It was hard, and it hurt, and I knew it must have hurt her too, and I hated it, I _hated it... _but I did it. The little doe bolted off as fast as her little legs could carry her, light and whippet graceful as ever, leaving me staring after her with my soul feeling as empty as I knew my eye sockets must have been.

With a deep sigh, I headed off to the pasta aisle.

'_let her go..._

_...for now.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, would it be alright with you guys if I used my OC's name? The little ______s I've gotta write are killin' me.


	11. I Don't Want to Speak to Your Manager

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You decide to step in, less for Sans and more for monsters as a whole. 
> 
> But then things get a little weird...

_"Re-examine all you have been told in school or church or in any book, and dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem, and have the richest fluency..."_

_-Walt Whitman, "_ _Leaves of Grass_ _"_

_ **Your POV:** _

"Hello? Earth to freak? Are you freaking deaf?!"

My exhaustion was pushed back by alarm as the venomous shouts registered in my ears. I turned towards the commotion to find that a cashier just a couple registers away from the exit was snarling at a customer that I couldn't see behind the nearby shelves. Seeing that a small crowd had begun to form, I allowed my curiosity to overcome my fear and joined the spectators. The worker, a seething middle aged woman, continued to rant as I approached:

"Did you hear me!? I. Said. Leave! Your kind aren't welcome here!" She snarled. Sans simply stood and stared back at her darkly, clenching and releasing his bony hands over and over as if he were considering wrapping them around her neck. I was amazed that she wasn't cowering under his murderous glare; if I were her, I would have rushed to bag his items to let him leave as quickly as possible.

Why was I doing this again?

"Pardon me, miss, would you mind sparing me a moment?"

One skull and one head whipped towards me at the interruption, one in annoyance, the other in surprised confusion. I completely ignored Sans, keeping my focus on the red faced cashier. I almost winced as I felt the tangible weight of his shocked stare settle over me, but managed to give the woman- Cristal by her name tag- a polite smile instead.

"I don't mean to intrude, but I couldn't help over hearing," I told her apologetically. "Can I ask what has you so upset?"

"Just go to another register lady, I gotta deal with this _creep_ first," The cashier sighed, the anger in her tone waning ever so slightly now that she was speaking to a human.

I cast a cursory sideward glance at a very dumb struck Sans before giving her a thoughtful nod. "...Ah. I see the issue."

"Glad you get it sweetie," she smiled, thinking she had found a like mind to back her up. "So if you could-"

"I assume he isn't allowed to use this register, then?" I reasoned before she could finish her dismissal. She seemed taken aback.

"Uh... yeah...? But I nee-"

"Are humans still allowed to use it?"

Not wanting to provoke her further and destroy my progress, I was careful to maintain a pleasant expression and tone. My hope was that maybe, if I remained cordial, the issue could be solved quickly and peacefully... unfortunately, this was not the case. Despite my best efforts, the woman seemed to grow more peeved with each second I stalled her.

Time to end this before it escalated again.

Cristal's brows pulled together in a disgruntled frown. "I guess? What're you getting at?" She demanded suspiciously.

"Ah!" I clapped my hands together, donning my brightest smile. "I know what to do now!"

I began to dig through my purse, trying my best to quell my growing anxiety as Sans, Cristal, and pretty much everyone in the surrounding crowd watched me curiously; The scrutiny was nerve wracking. A confused murmer rippled through our audience as I pulled out a good portion of my tip money from that morning and placed the bills on the counter, smoothing out the crumpled wad of cash as best I could.

"______...?" Sans murmured, clearly just as lost as everyone else.

The cashier was no exception. "Huh? The heck is this for?" She asked as she picked up the money almost reflexively and hesitantly began counting the bills. I didn't blame her; after all, who would refuse? New York could be a rough town sometimes.

"I'll be buying these boxes of spaghetti today if he can't use this register," I explained. "I... hope that's alright?"

She, along with everyone else, gawked at me as if I'd grown a second head. Darn it, I was sweating... stay strong, _____!

"Are you alright, miss?" I questioned her worriedly. It was another couple seconds before she could shake her way out of her shock and resume the hateful sneer that seemed to come naturally to her.

"What's your game here, huh?" She spat "You seriously gonna side with these freaks? Fucking traitor!"

I felt my smile falter against my will. "Oh... I'm... I'm sorry you feel that way. Is there any way I can convince you otherwise...?"

"Hell _no_, you monster fu-"

"Just hear me out? Please?" I pleaded hopefully.

To my surprise, her expression froze and then changed, first to confusion, then to hesitance, before finally softening into a calmer state. It was my turn to be shocked when she slowly nodded.

"O... Okay."

____________________

** _Sans' POV: _ **

I'm not gonna lie; I was about two seconds away from wringing that cunt's scrawny little neck. How _fucking _dare she?! Did she know who I _was?_

Probably not, if she had the balls to talk down to me like that.

My rage flipped into shock when _____'s quiet little voice reached my metaphorical ears:

"Pardon me, miss, would you mind sparing me a moment?"

I could only watch silently for the next few minutes, my jaw to the floor, as she slowly talked the bitch down, remaining more calm through the entire encounter than I ever could have. I was so God damn confused... why the hell was she stepping in for me like that? I thought she fuckin' _hated _me. Well whatever her reason, I wasn't complaining; if she cared enough to do that, maybe there was still hope for me after all.

Then, about three minutes in, it happened:

"Oh... I'm... I'm sorry you feel that way. Is there any way I can convince you otherwise...?" _____ asked softly, looking crestfallen.

"Hell _no_, you monster fu-"

"Just hear me out? Please?" She begged.

As she spoke those words, her **soul **began humming a hypnotizing melody that made my own magic thrum against my chest in response. Suddenly aching with that familiar need, I had to hold myself back from wrapping my arms around her to crush her to me. That _feeling_... it was as if the entire area was vibrating with the very essence of her beautiful **soul**, falling over every other spirit within reach like a warm blanket. Most of the humans didn't even feel it, maybe two or three at most, but those that did seemed to relax so much that they almost fell over. And there was one specific human that was affected way more than the others were, probably more than even _I_ was...

  
The cashier.

Tangible strands of soft green and gold light, invisible to everyone else except for me, extended outwards from _____'s chest. I gaped as they singled out the cashier and spiraled slowly toward her persevering **soul. **When the light connected, the cashier visibly calmed, her body relaxing as the spite drained from her eyes.

"O... Okay."

_'what. the fuck.' _

I snapped my gaze sharply back to _____, searching her expression for any hint of an explanation... nothing. Holy fucking hell, she didn't even know what she was _doing_.

"Thank goodness," she breathed with a relieved smile. "May I ask why you don't like monsters, miss?"

"They don't belong here," The cashier automatically replied. Her tone was a little off this time though, kind of like she was just stating a fact instead of hurling an insult.

_'what the fuck.'_

_____ tilted her head thoughtfully, frowning a bit. "Why not?"

Once again, the lady answered immediately. Or tried to, at least.  
"Because they... because..." unable to finish her thought, she trailed off into a brief, puzzled silence. Her gaze drifted to the floor as the last of her bravado faded.  
"Because... I... don't know?" She finished in a confused mumble. It sounded less like a statement, and more like a question, and the expression on her face when she lifted her head made me think she wanted _____ to answer it.

_'_ _what the fuck.'_

"I see..." my mate said after a couple beats of silence. She looked a little confused as well at how easily the cashier complied.  
"Do you... do you think I could check these out now miss?" She asked a little awkwardly.

And then it was over. The hum faded. The green lights retracted so suddenly that it was like they'd never been there at all. Everything went back to normal so quickly that my **soul **felt like it had whiplash somehow.

The woman under _____'s spell blinked rapidly, shaking her head as if trying to clear it. "H-Huh? Oh! Oh shit," she blurted, "Yeah. Y-Yeah, lemme get these rung in..."

** _'what. the actual. _ ** ** _FUCK._ ** ** _'_ **

I just kind of stood there awkwardly for the next couple minutes while she rang up the spaghetti. The crowd dissipated pretty quickly now that the show was over, and soon it was just the three of us and some dude behind us in line.

Near the end, I accidentally locked eyes with the clerk. I would've looked away if I hadn't been so taken aback by her expression. She still seemed wary of me, but any real venom that had been in her eyes before had been replaced by shyness and even a touch of curiosity. We stared at each other for a good fifteen seconds before I realizex that my mate was already heading for the door.

  
I snatched up the bags and gave a quick nod to the un-bitched lady before booking it into a short cut to catch up.

'_What the fuck..._'

My mind was still reeling, and probably would be for a good week.

'_What the fuck did _____ just do?'_

_ ______________


	12. Why... Always Such a Loaded Question.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not much plot, just a follow up on the last chap.

"_Long have you timidly waded_  
_Holding a plank by the shore,_  
_Now I will you to be a bold swimmer,_  
_To jump off in the midst of the sea,_  
_Rise again..."_

_"-Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass: "Song of Myself"_

_ **Your POV:** _

I made my exit quickly and quietly, praying to all the stars above that I wouldn't be followed.

But when had the stars ever listened to me?

I heaved a drained sigh at the heavy footfalls I could hear closing in from behind me.

"____! ____, wait!" My skeletal shadow called out with an unexpected touch of desperation in his voice.

"Stop following me," I deadpanned tiredly.

"told ya before: no can do, sweetheart," Sans grumbled as he easily caught up with me and fell into step at my heels.

A wave of indignation overtook any remaining fear I felt for him. "I'm not your sweetheart," I snapped.

"tch... fine. whatever. i still can't- god damnit would ya just-" I was brought to a halt when he suddenly popped into existance in front of me, "-hold up for a god damn second?"

I walked around him without missing a beat. "No."

I could hear him growl behind me, but to my surprise and relief, he did nothing else to stop me. I could practically feel his sullen glare as he trudged silently behind me for the next couple minutes. In the back of my mind, I was shocked at my brash behavior, such a grand leap from the abject terror I'd felt for him not ten minutes prior. But that was only a small part of me, overwhelmed by the fierce gratification in knowing that, at least for now, his presence had no power over me. He couldn't trap me now, not in the busy city streets with countless bystanders baring witness. After five minutes of pensive silence, I almost forgot he was there.

"Why?"

Ah. There he was.

A bubble of incredulous laughter burst in my chest at the sheer nerve in that ridiculous question.

"Funny; I've been asking you that same question since we first met," I mused. "In fact..."

Sans came uncomfortably close to bowling me over when I suddenly stopped and spun to face him. I jabbed an accusatory finger into his chest and almost laughed again at his flinch.

"In fact, let me ask you again. Why should I give you a reason? Why should I have the good grace dignify that word with an answer, when you've never once given me the same courtesy?" I snarled up at his dumfounded face. "Tell me. Why?"

He looked away. "that's not the sa-"

"Isn't it?"

If I wasn't so ticked, I might have wondered how it was possible for a skeleton to sweat.

"...please."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. 'Please,' he said... well then. I was slightly moved in spite of myself; If his awkward shuffling was any indication, it wasn't a word he usually used, if ever.

I decided to answer.

"Because it was wrong."

His eye sockets made a quiet grinding sound as they squinted in confusion. "...huh?"

I sighed as I turned and began walking again. "I stepped in because what happened in there wasn't right," I explained tiredly. "That woman was confused, misguided... I just wanted her to see that not all monsters are..." I cleared my throat. "... like you."

I pressed a hand to my chest and winced as my heart gave a sudden, painful throb. What in the world was that?

Sans' steps faltered briefly behind me. "ouch. that's, uh... that's pretty harsh, sweetheart," he chuckled nervously.

I pointedly ignored both the pet name and the tightness in my chest. "It's true. But..." I paused, "it doesn't have to be."

"i know, i- wait, what? what's that supposta mean?" He demanded.

I shrugged dismissively. "Decide for yourself. I have nothing more to say. Goodbye. "

"____, I-"

"Goodbye, Sans."

He stopped completely at that, allowing me to turn the corner without following. I turned the corner, leaving him with my words; For the first time since I'd met him, I was the one to walk away.

It felt good.

My chest didn't, though.

_____________________________

Sans' POV:

Her words slammed me like a freight train.

'I just wanted her to see that not all monsters are ...like you.'

The bitter truth of it sunk into my soul like an icy shock of steel.

'Not all monsters are... like you.'

Cold. Sharp. Bitter. True.

If I had a heart, it might have skipped a couple beats or maybe stopped altogether. I gripped my chest over my screaming soul; This guilt... was she pulling the same stunt as she had with ghe cashier back there? I checked for any sign of magic output... nope. No, this was all me.

Worse still was when she said my name for the very first time. The sheer derision and disappointment that filled that single syllable was enough to stop me in my tracks, unable to do anything but stare after her in shock. The disappointment was surprising somehow; after all, how could she possibly have expected anything from me in the first place?

'let her go. just... let her go.'

I waited until she turned the corner out of sight to port home.


	13. Brief Reprieve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're feeling quite proud of yourself; maybe there's a way to solve this peacefully after all. 
> 
> Meanwhile at the Gaster's manor, Papyrus knows something's up.

"_Let the school stand! mind not the cry of the teacher! Let the preacher preach in his pulpit! let the lawyer plead in the court, and the judge expound the law." -Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass: "To The States"_

_ **Your POV: ** _

What was that?

_What was that??_

I shook my head as I walked, pressing my palm to my damp forehead. I was numb with disbelief. Where in the world had all of that come from? When did I get so bold? Whatever the case, it had happened, it was done, and I walked a little taller as I reveled in the pride of knowing that I had regained a little control, at least for now. My excitement eventually faded into the dread of knowing that this was was likely only a brief reprieve; I would probably pay for my brashness later, most likely when there weren't other people around to stop him.

But that was the strangest thing about this latest encounter: if I hadn't known better, I'd have said that he was actually trying to hold himself back. I'd have said, as crazy as it sounds, that he seemed to be just as reluctant as I was, that he was making an active effort to be civil. It made me wonder if I should take a calmer approach to the situation the next time he came around, maybe try to show him that I wouldn't let him scare me.

Maybe that was what he wanted, to find someone to talk to who wouldn't run away. Maybe he just needed to learn how. Maybe... he needed me to teach him?

I could only hope it were that simple.

But then I found myself right back at that infernal question: why would he pick me? As far as he and his line of work were concerned, I was a liability, a witness; He would need a very, very reason to keep a timebomb like me ticking so close by... I didn't know for sure, but I was willing to bet it had something to do with this "heartburn."

I had figured it out a while ago; I wasn't stupid. Despite my lack of firsthand experience, I was actually incredibly well-versed in soul lore for a human. Ever since I was little, I'd been fascinated with the concept of a Monster's ability to study the very essence of someone's being. I'd studied it my whole life. I was even planning on going to college for Medicinal Soul Science before... 

In any case, I was absolutely certain that Something had to have happened to my soul when he'd taken it out that first night. Something that no human doctor could fix, something that may or may not be permanent... something only a Monster would be able to help me with. Next time sans approched me- and there would be a next time- I wouldn't back down until I got an answer to that annoying question.

_ **Sans' POV:** _

I was careful to replace my usual shit-eating grin by the time I hopped out of the void into our kitchen. Papyrus was leaning back against the counter beside the already boiling water on the stove, arms crossed and with a peeved look on his face.

"hey bro. what's cookin'?" I quipped with a wiggle of my brow bones. As usual, my best material was wasted on my brother. He stayed silent, holding out his hand expectantly so I could drop a couple spaghetti boxes into his open palm. After confirming that I brought him his usual brand, he summoned a single red glowing claw to slice open the box and dump the pasta into the pot.

His prickly silence wasn't unusual, so I just shrugged it off and set about putting the remaining boxes away in the pantry. It was a walk in, by the way, as big as the average bedroom; Paps was in charge of the kitchen when we were having the house built, and he spared no expense with its design.

"YOU'RE LATE."

I jumped a little and hissed as I banged my head on the shelf I was leaning under. I poked my head out of the pantry, rubbing my sore skull.

"i can't be that late, i was just gone for..." I trailed off when my watch told me I'd been gone for over thirty minutes. Well then. "...ah, shit. sorry boss, guess i got a lil' sidetracked."

He had his back to me, focused on stirring his masterpiece. "BY WHAT?"

Uh-oh. Casual tone, snippy responses... nope. Get out, sansy. Get outta there now.

"oh, i just, uh... ran into a friend s'all," I said smoothly, hoping I wasn't sweating too bad. I might've been _bad to the bone,_ but I was shit at lying, especially to my brothers.

Papyrus stopped stirring for a second and slowly put down the spoon. Yup... I was definitely sweating.

"...BROTHER."

"y-yeah boss?"

He turned around and resumed his original position, crossing his arms and fixing me with a calculating expression. "YOU DON'T HAVE FRIENDS," he uttered bluntly, cutting me off with a wave of his hand when I tried to protest.

"MAYBE YOU DO AT GRILLBY'S. BUT WHATEVER FRIENDS YOU HAVE, SANS, I SOMEHOW CAN'T IMAGINE YOU STOPPING FOR ANY OF THEM IN A GROCERY STORE FOR A CASUAL CHAT."

I looked away, mind racing to find some way to retort, but it turned out I didn't have to; after a couple beats of silence, he spoke again, his tone uncharacteristically quiet:

"...It's Alright. "

My head shot up to see paps turned away and stirring the spaghetti again.

"what?" I asked dumbly.

"It's Fine," he reiterated, "I won't pry. Just Be Sure That The Line Between Business And Pleasure Remains Clear." He looked over his shoulder at me with a rare sort of softness in his eyes. "Be Careful, Sans."

"...heh. thanks bro," I said, smiling for real this time. Paps always was a softie at heart, even when he worked so hard to hide it.

"FOR WHAT?" He scoffed, turning to the spaghetti and back to his normal volume. "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT, YOU LAZY BUFFOON; I CAN'T WORK WITH YOUR PRESENCE POLLUTING THE KITCHEN."

Oh well. It was nice while it lasted. I chuckled and headed for the door to leave him to it... and narrowly avoided crashing into Wings on my way out. I growled in annoyance while blinked down at me.

"Ah! My apologies brother, I didn't see you there."

"BULLSHIT."

"bull shit."

Wings just shrugged and smiled, not bothered at all. Ugh. Prick.

"whatever ya say, dingus," I sighed as I stepped around him. "i'll see you two at dinner, yeah?"

I felt their gazes on me the whole way up the stairs.


	14. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You run into two old friends; emphasis on old.

Your POV:

I didn't end up having time to go back home before my shift, but luckily I always kept a spare change of clothes in my locker at the bar. It was too late to go home and too early to work, so I just kind of meandered aimlessly around the area for a few minutes, loosing myself in my thoughts. 

"'Ey! 'Ey Birdie, over 'ere!" 

I was pulled out of my musings when a familiar voice hailed me from the nearest alleyway, an immediate smile pulling at my lips when I looked up to see the source. 

"Ramona! Blue!" I greeted warmly as I approached the two elderly ladies nestled comfortably in the crevasse between buildings. A makeshift hearth crackled passively in a punctured oil drum in front of them, illuminating their bundled forms. "What are you two scoundrels up to this afternoon?" 

"Don'tcha know dis song 'n' dance by now, birdie?" Ramona asked in response, smiling slyly up at me as I came to a stop in front of them. "Gotta pay da toll fer info 'round 'ere." 

I rolled my eyes, but smiled as she opened her arms and tapped her cheek. I acquiesced, bending to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek and doing the same for Blue before settling down cross legged on their mat. "Well hello to you too, ladies," I quipped lightly.

Blue and Ramona had been my very first friends when I arrived in New York three months prior with nothing but my clothes and my name. At my lowest possible point, they'd given me what little they could, providing me with shelter, food, and friends; the fact that I was still breathing was ultimately thanks to them. No matter how many times the old girls brushed off my gratitude, I still felt indebted to them for that.

"Dat's bettah," Ramona chuckled in her brooklyn drawl. Blue didn't say anything in greeting, but that was okay; her smile always said enough. 

"Now." Ramona crossed her arms and settled back against the wall with a carefree air. "Ya gonna spill r'what?"

I knew exactly what she meant, but I masked my discomfort with a dismissive smile. "Oh, just the usual-" 

"Now Don'tcha give us any a' dat nonsense," Ramona cut me off with a spark in her suddenly serious eyes. Blue nodded in agreement as she continued. "Jus' cut da shit 'n' tell us wha's gotcha in such a tizzy, shugah."

Welp. No getting out of this, I suppose. "...Alright. But I'll warn you, it's a lot," I relented. Blue silently reached forward and patted my knee. 

"Ain't got nothin' but time, birdie," Said Ramona. 

Over the next thirty minutes, the ladies listened intently as I relayed my ordeal. Despite her loquacious personality, Ramona was uncharacteristically somber while I spoke, only interrupting once or twice to clarify things. Blue, on the other hand, never showed the slightest hint of distress or concern. In fact, she hardly stirred at all, staying as still and static as any work of chiseled marble. It had taken me an entire week of knowing her to see that she wasn't actually as withdrawn as she seemed, and now I didn't even have to look at her to know that the discerning light in her wizened eyes was trained keenly on me. I wouldn't have looked anyway of course; Blue always had odd reservations when it came to eye contact. 

Eventually I finished my story, not really looking at either of them by the end. 

"...And that's it. Here we are," I said with a tired sigh. As loathe as I was to relive those memories, I was relieved to have gotten it all off my chest. 

Ramona sat back and whistled lowly. "Tha'sa helluva yarn, birdie. What're ya gonna do?" 

"I have no idea," I admitted sadly, still looking at the ground as tears began to sting at the corners of my eyes. "If I fight, he'll win. If I hide, he'll find me." My breathing began picking up as I spoke more rapidly. "I don't want to run away again, Ramona, I-I just can't. I c-can't do it again, It's too- ow!" 

My eyes shot to Blue's serene expression as she calmly laid her cane back at her side. I rubbed my now throbbing forehead with a scowl. "What was that for?!" I demanded indignantly. 

"Now you jus' listen 'ere, lil' lady," Ramona barked sternly, bringing my attention back to her. "This ain't da same ting. Yer in a tight place, butcha ain't da same whippet of a gal as ya were back den." 

"B-But Ramona-"

"No buts about it!" She snapped. "Yer not runnin' this time, yer fightin'!" 

I resisted the urge to argue and nodded my head tiredly. Both lady's eyes softened significantly as I continued to struggle quietly with myself. 

"Y'know what? Here." 

At Ramona's prompt, I looked to see that she was holding out what looked like some sort of cigarette, crudely rolled in a pinch of brown paper. It took me a couple moments of staring to identify dusty blue substance encased in the wrapping. 

"Ramona! Is that what I think it is?!" I gasped, recoiling a bit from the echo flower joint in her weathered hand. "Y-You know those are illegal for humans!" 

"Ey now, dis is strictly fer healin'!" Ramona protested as Blue tried to hide her chuckles behind an admonishing glare at her friend. "Helps wit da arthritis! N' besides..." her eyes turned sly, "I betcha could do wit a lil' stress relief, ey?" 

I shook my head, unsure. "I don't know..."

"Aw c'mon honey, live a little! I bet ya never smoked a thing in your life." She paused to bat Blue's hands away as the silent woman irrately batted at her shoulder. "Loosen up!"

I hesitated, but eventually relented, delicately plucking the proffered joint from Ramona's palm and zipping it into an empty pocket in my purse. 

"Bwa-heh! Dere ya go! welcome t'da dark side, birdie!" Ramona hooted, leaning over onto an irritated Blue as she cackled with mirth. I shook my head with a huff of laughter and pushed off the ground. 

"I never said I would use it... but thank you anyway," I said with a grateful smile as I dusted off my jeans, "for, um... that... and for caring. It really means a lot."

Ramona waved her weathered hand in dismissal. "An'time, birdie. Now git gone, ya got that fancy job ta get ta, don'tcha?" 

"That I do," I agreed in a mutter before giving them another smile and wave. "See you tomorrow, ladies!" 

Before I could turn to go, I was stopped by a frail hand clamping down on my wrist. I looked back to see not Ramona's, but Blue's wrinkled fingers encircling my wrist tight enough to make me grimace. Knowing how unusual this was for her- from what I knew, Blue never touched anyone- I held my tongue and waited patiently as the silent woman leaned over to whisper to her friend. 

"Uh-huh... hmm... Yup. Okay girlie," Ramona finally said when Blue pulled away after several long seconds. "Blue bird over 'ere wants me ta warn ya not ta ferget dat dis stuff's magic. Keep a clear head, y'hear?" 

I blinked down at them as Blue released my wrist and sat back, satisfied that her message had been relayed. "Oh. Well, um... alright then, I'll see you later," I said, chuckling awkwardly as I turned to go. 

As always, I felt their stares on my back until I was out of sight.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments? Questions? Suggestions or requests? Well stick 'em up yer ass! 
> 
> ...Nah, I kid. Anything is appreciated tbh. Don't be afraid to rip me a new one, I can't be insulted by someone I'm never gonna meet :P


End file.
